Dear Florence,
We arrived in India last week, and the voyage was the worst experience of my entire life. I’m lucky to be alive!
The first part of the journey was terrible, because the ship hit bad weather almost as soon as we left Liverpool. But much, much worse was to come. Later, we were involved in a collision with another boat and we had to abandon ship!
We had been at sea for about two weeks and we were in the Mediterranean. There is now a canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea called the Suez Canal, which opened last year. Our boat stopped at Port Said, the Egyptian port at the entrance to the canal. I remember looking through the porthole of my cabin and wishing that I could go ashore and visit this fascinating place, but mummy had ordered that I was to stay in the cabin because I was feeling ill. “you must stay here for at least another two days.” I remember her saying. How wrong she would turn out to be! The ship left the port and headed towards the canal . I was alone in the cabin and I watched the port disappear into the distance. Suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by the most awful crunching（嘎吱的）sound, and the ship shook and turned slightly on its side.
There was an eerie silence for a moment, then people started shouting. Mummy came running into the cabin and told me that we had collided with another boat. She took my hand and we ran along the deck towards the lifeboats. There was a lot of shouting and people were running everywhere, but the crew were all acting calmly, helping people into the lifeboats and telling people not to panic.
Well, clearly we survived, as did all the passengers and crew of the ship. The other boat wasn’t so lucky. It sank and several lives were lost.
I will write about the rest of the journey soon. Please give my love to Aunt Claire and Uncle Eric.
Your loving cousin,
Jane
56．【小题1】When was the letter written?

A．Before the author went to India.	B．In the mid – 19th century.
C．When the author arrived in Egypt.	D．Just after the author arrived in India.

57．【小题2】Why was the journey to India such a bad experience for the author?

A．She was sick when it started and nearly died in Egypt.

B．Her ship left England in bad weather and crashed into another ship near the Suez Canal.

C．She was seasick when her ship sank.

D．She was alone when her ship hit another boat and she got sick.

58．【小题3】The author’s mother didn’t allow her to go ashore and visit the port city, Said because      .

A．she was homesick at that time

B．she didn’t feel very well then

C．she could meet some danger ashore

D．she could see the city through the porthole on board

59．【小题4】The underlined phrase “eerie silence” in the sixth paragraph means         .

A．pleasant calm silence	B．long peaceful silence
C．sudden long silence	D．strange uncomfortable silence

The International Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.

They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.

    Jacqucs has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge 167ft ship, named 'Sea Orbiter', consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.

Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player. And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.

    The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!

1.Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?

    A. Because they can’t stand the high water pressure.

    B. Because it’s too cold in deep ocean.

    C. Because time for experiments is too limited.

    D. Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life.

2.The underlined word "circumvent" probably means          .

    A. fly away    B. get around     C. travel through     D. move into

3.From the fourth paragraph we can learn that        .

    A. Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling

    B. living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly

    C. it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food

    D. researchers on Jacque’s ship will live more comfortably than astronauts

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future  

B. A new way to explore the deep oceans

C. A great architect—Jacques Rougerie 

D. Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter

 

Holidays

Holiday News Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

 

The Snowdonia Center The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

 

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

1.What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A.Choose the holiday in Devon.    

B.Go to the Snowdonia Centre

C.Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

D.Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

2.In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

A.. It provides chances of family gatherings.

B.It provides customers with good food.

C. It offers a sport lesson.

D. It offers comfortable room.

3.What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A. You can have free meals on deck every day.

B. You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C. You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D. You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

4. At the Snowdonia Centre, the beginners’ costs of ￡57 do not cover               .

A. food         B. rooms       C. body exercises            D. walking shoes

 

Sailing Through History

A group of 1,309 passengers boarded the MS Balmoral on Sunday, in Southampton, England, on a voyage to retrace the path of the Titanic. The Titanic was the biggest ship in the world when it sailed on its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912. Of the 2,227 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died. The ship, which was headed to New York City, carried the rich and famous on its first voyage. It also carried immigrants, who were seeking a better life in America.

Relatives of people who sailed on the Titanic, historians, authors and people fascinated by the story of the unsinkable ship, are on the Balmoral. They want to remember the doomed ship and those who died on her first and last voyage. The historic liner had set sail on April 10, 1912, from Southampton. Late at night on April 14, she hit an iceberg. In the early morning hours of April 15, the Titanic sank.

The Balmoral is following Titanic’s original route from Southampton. First, the modern-day cruise liner docked in the port of Cherbourg, France, where the Titanic had picked up more passengers. On Monday afternoon, the Balmoral stops in Cobh, Ireland, the Titanic’s last port of call before sailing to New York.

Balmoral will then cruise the North Atlantic Ocean to the location where Titanic hit an iceberg that ripped the ship’s hull(外壳). On Sunday, April 15, at 2:20 a.m.—the time the Titanic went down—passengers and crew will hold a memorial service. The next two days will be spent in Halifax, Canada, where many victims of the sinking are buried. Then, the Balmoral will reach its final destination in New York City, where Titanic was supposed to dock—but never did.

Until today, several teams of divers have explored the site. They have recovered some items such as dishes and silverware and put them on public display. And more trips are planned to the wreckage in the future. The Titanic and its passengers and crew have been remembered in books, movies and TV programs. But there’s a much more important contribution that Titanic gave us. After she sank, lawmakers and shipbuilders made ships safer. It took a terrible tragedy to make ship travel safer for all.

1.How many passengers in Titanic survived at last?

A．More than 1500.

B．About 1309.

C．About 1000.

D．Less than 750.

2.How many countries does the Balmoral reach before sailing to New York?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．five.

3.The Balmoral will stay in Canada just __________.

A．in memory of the dead passengers in the Balmoral

B．in memory of the survivors in Titanic

C．in memory of the dead passengers in Titanic

D．in memory of the survivors in the Balmoral

4.What might be the most important contribution of sunken Titanic?

A．Its site attracts more exploring teams.

B．It makes the later ships more secure.

C．Some of its items are on public display.

D．More trips are planned to its wreckage.

 

 

1.They sat at the back of the hall, talking in           (耳语) in order not to disturb others.

2.The Chinese team o                the Japanese team through good teamwork in the final and won the gold medal.

3.Please go a             the ship quickly. There is only ten minutes left. Let’s hurry!

4.Farmers benefit a lot from the new a                 （农业的）laws and regulations.

5.New Zealand’s culture is rich because of the m           of Polynesian and different European settlers.

6.The boss,     ____       （代表） the company, expressed sincere thanks to all employees for their efforts

7.As a famous actress, she has to be p             about what she wears in public.

8.He suggests             （出口）our products so that we can make higher profits.

9.The government immediately started a nationwide c              against drunk driving to ensure the road safety.

10.Yuan Longping not only works the land to do his research in China, but also c         farm knowledge in other Asian countries.